Ever visit the kitchen of an avid cook? It’s organized, clean, well-stocked and ready for whatever creative menus strike their fancy. Eating well isn’t just about the food you eat – it’s also about having the tools you need to make great meals. Organization, planning and cleanliness will make cooking in your kitchen a pleasure rather than a chore.
Managing your workspace
Whether you enjoy spending hours in the kitchen chopping, stirring and mixing or just want to get in, get out quickly, it pays to make your kitchen somewhere that you enjoy spending time. That means that it’s clean, organized and has the equipment you need to do the job.
Step one to organizing your kitchen is to go through your cupboards and get rid of all the accumulated stuff that you don’t have any use for. That means broken appliances (and the ones you got as Christmas gifts that you’ve never used), old paper plates from kids’ birthday parties, half-full bottles of hot sauce that you’ve had for six years and those empty jars that are gathering dust on the top shelf. If you’re not going to use it, toss it out, give it away or sell it online – just get it out of your workspace.
Take your kitchen, one section at a time, and clean off the shelves. Wipe them down with cleanser, maybe lay down some fresh shelf paper. Do the same with your drawers. You don’t have to do it all in one night – take it a little at a time with the goal of getting all your shelves and drawers sparkling clean. Scrub down the stove and clean your refrigerator – inside and outside. Throw away food that’s gone bad or have just been sitting there for ages because you’ll never eat it. Toss out the foods in your cupboards that are going to waste, too.
Right now, there’s probably a haphazard plan, at best, to the way your kitchen is organized. Your pots and pans are a jumble in one cupboard, your wooden spoons, spatulas and knives all tossed in the same drawer, and your cookie sheets are leaning against the wall. The dry goods on your shelves – cereal, pasta, and the like – are probably stuck on the shelves with no regard for organization. It takes time to find things when you want to use them, and there’s an attitude of disrespect when you treat your food and your tools this way – your new lifestyle is about healthy habits, right? So develop good organizational habits, too!
Start by organizing things by type. Put all of your fats, oils, salad dressings and condiments together. Pasta, rice and other uncooked grains should be together, too. Think of how they’re stocked when you go to the grocery store – there’s an intuitive design behind the methods that grocers stock their goods. The same rules make sense in your kitchen, too. Organize your spices, as well. You don’t have to be quite so anal retentive as alphabetize them, but you can find an organizational system that works for you, like putting the things you use the most in the front, or separating the herbs and the spices.
Handling the hardware
There are tools that you’ll need to cook with, but not as many you might think – and possibly not even as many as you already own. If your countertop is cluttered with a coffeemaker, a mixer, a blender, a toaster oven and microwave, be honest about how often you use these items. Do they need to be there all the time? If you rarely bake, store the mixer under a counter until you need it. Ditto the blender. If you only make a pot of coffee on the weekend, think about store it out of sight during the week. This will give you more space to work and make your kitchen look less cluttered.
If you don’t cook much, you may find yourself lacking some basic kitchen essentials. Most can be purchased inexpensively at stores like Target or Wal-Mart, but you can find a lot of them for almost nothing at thrift stores. The basics for any home kitchen include:
Measuring cups and spoons
Bowls in various sizes for mixing and serving
Wooden spoons
Rubber spatulas
Whisks
Baking pans and cookie sheets
Pots and pans in assorted sizes
Good, sharp knives – a paring knife, a chef’s knife and a serrated bread knife
Bigger items that you’ll probably want:
A mixer, either countertop style or handheld
Heavy duty blender
Food processor
Slow cooker (usually called a crock pot)
Rice cooker
The vegetarian pantry
Grains are versatile, have a long shelf life and are inexpensive, making them the perfect pantry staple. Store them in airtight containers in a cool, dry place away from sunlight, and they’re good for months. If you have the space in your fridge or freezer, they’ll last longer if you store them there – just make sure they’re well sealed to keep out moisture.
Most of the grain products you’ll want to stock are already familiar to you – whole wheat breads and pancakes mixes, breakfast cereals, pasta, tortillas, and bulk grains like rice and oats. But now that you’re going to be eating a diet rich in plant foods, this is a good time to learn about new grains you’ve never tried, as well as educating yourself about your old favorites.
Barley is a grain that’s gone out of fashion, although it’s been a staple food for generations. It’s great in vegetable soups, giving them a nutty taste and delightfully chewy texture. You can buy it as a while grain at your health food store, which is loaded with nutrients but takes a long time to cook. Pearl barley has had the tough outer bran shell removed, so it offers less fiber – but it cooks faster and is still delicious. Add it to your soups, stews and vegetarian chili, use it in casseroles and saute it with veggies.
Cornmeal is dried, ground corn that, if you’ve ever used it all, you’ve probably only used to make corn bread. Now is the time to introduce yourself to polenta, a delicious, savory Italian porridge that can be eaten hot or cold (look for a recipe in Chapter 12). Add it to your homemade breads for great flavor and texture.
Rice is an old standby, but there’s more to it than the basic white stuff you get with your Chinese food. A good rule of thumb to remember is that the shorter the grain, the starchier the rice.
Long-grain rice stays fluffy with separate grains, and it’s the choice for pilaf. Medium-grain rice – the kind found in most American kitchens – is soft and fluffy when cooked but gets stickier as it cools. Short-grain rice is the starchiest, the thick, gluey kind served with Asian and Indian cuisine. There’s a world of different rices available in these three types – arborio is a very short-grained rice used to make risotto (although any short-grain white rice can be used; basmati is an aromatic long-grain rice, available as either brown or white rice, that’s imported from India and Pakistan (although it’s also grown commercial in Texas); japonica rice is a very sticky Japanese rice; brown rice is whole kernels of rice with the nutty outer shell still intact; and jasmine rice is a yummy, highly aromatic long grain rice that’s great for cold salads, as it stays fluffy long after cooking. There’s also wild rice, which isn’t actually rice at all – it’s a grass seed that grows wild in the Midwest and is usually combined with other rices as it’s somewhat expensive.
Quinoa is an ancient food staple that dates back to the Incas. It’s great in cold salads or seasoned with herbs and served with potatoes.
Buckwheat, when toasted, is called kasha and it has a strong flavor. Untoasted, it’s decidedly mellower, and a welcome addition to pancakes and breads.
Legumes – beans, mostly – are also a great food to always have in stock, either dry or canned. Dried beans have a long shelf life, and they’re both versatile and nutritious. Rinse canned beans well before you use them to remove the excess sodium. Like grains, there are many, many different types of beans, good in all sorts of different dishes. And they’re inexpensive, so you can experiment without breaking your budget:
Kidney beans are the traditional white or red beans used in soups, stews and chili. You should always have these on hand, because you’ll find hundreds of uses for them.
Navy beans are the small, pale beans used in that old favorite, navy bean soup. You can also use them to make your own vegetarian baked beans.
Split peas come in green or yellow varieties, and are some of the fastest cooking of the legumes. Use them to make old-fashioned split pea soup, or branch out and make some of the many delicious Indian dishes that use them.
Black-eyed peas aren’t peas at all but beans, brought to America from Africa by slaves, and a staple in Southern cooking. Unlike most beans, these don’t need to be soaked first – they cook quickly, and they’re great in spicy main dishes.
Black turtle beans hail from Central America and the Caribbean, and they’re delicious in spicy dishes like chili and burritos.
Cannellini beans are small white beans used in Italian soups and other dishes. Use them in soups or salads.
Chickpeas are also called garbanzos, and are a common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. These are the soft, round, light brown beans you find at salad bars – learn to use them in cooking and you can make your own hummus, tahini, and vegetarian curries.Great northern beans are big, white beans with a very subtle flavor. They’re great for soups.
Lima beans, also called butter beans, are wide, green soft beans with a delicious flavor. Eat them on their own with just a little salt and pepper, or use them to make succotash, a traditional Southern dish.
Lentils are one of the oldest foods known to man, a staple of Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine.
Soybeans are high in protein and low in fat, and can be included in any dish that traditionally uses beans. They take a while to cook and have a subtle flavor. Use them in baked beans, spicy soups and ethnic dishes.
A well-rounded larder
Stocking a variety of nuts, soy foods, vegetables and condiments can help you keep your diet interesting and inspire you in your cooking. In no particular order, here are foods that ought to be on every vegetarian’s shopping list:
Nuts, seeds and nut butters, like cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almond butter, cashew butter and peanut butter. Nut butters should be stored in a cool, dry place; nuts and seeds can be frozen for longer shelf life.
Soy foods are a key ingredient in the vegetarian diet, and take a variety of forms. Tofu comes in different textures – use extra-firm for stir-fries and as an egg substitute in egg salad recipes, soft tofu can serve as a substitute for sour cream or combined with chocolate for a protein-rich, dairy-free pudding (we’ll talk more about the many, many uses of tofu in Chapter 12).
Tempeh is fermented tofu, and it has a mushroom-like flavor. Soy milk, soy cheese and soy yogurt are non-dairy alternatives to cow’s milk products – keep in mind that soy cheese is usually made with the milk protein casein, so it’s not appropriate for vegans. Soy nuts are actually roasted soybeans, and are terrific for crunchy snacks or as a salad ingredient. Textured vegetable protein, or TVP, a dried soy product that, when reconstituted, resembles ground beef – it can be used in soups, stir-fries, burritos and any other recipe in which you’d use ground beef.
Dried fruit – apples, apricots, raisins, dates, figs, banana chips – are good for a quick snack or to combat low blood sugar, but should be eaten in moderation as they’re very high in calories.
Condiments and other ingredients like barbecue sauce, catsup, mustard and egg-free mayonnaise are obvious pantry staples. But also consider stocking nutritional yeast, an inactive, vitamin-rich yeast that can be mixed with grains or sprinkled on popcorn; canned coconut milk for making curries; marinated artichokes for salads and casseroles; hoisin sauce, a sweet Chinese condiment made from soybeans; fresh garlic and ginger; curry paste; olives and pickles; dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, wasabi, a very hot powder made from a Japanese radish; vegetarian Worcestershire sauce; and tamari, traditional, fermented soy sauce.
Vinegars for cooking and homemade salad dressings, including apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, raspberry vinegar, red and white wine vinegars, and herb-infused vinegars.
Processed grains are necessary for baking. All-purpose whole wheat flour is the most obvious, but you’ll want higher-glutin bread flour for breadmaking and low-glutin pastry flour of you’ll be baking muffins, cakes and cookies. Other grains that are good for breads are rye flour, oat flour, wheat bran, and wheat germ.
Cereals, bread and crackers are as basic to a vegetarian diet as it is to the omnivore’s. You’ll want whole-grain bread and rolls, oatmeal (good for hot cereal and for cookies), ready-to-eat whole grain cereals, graham crackers, pita bread, rice cakes, and whole grain crackers.
Canned foods aren’t ideal, but sometimes you need to make a quick meal you can throw together in a flash. Keep on hand cans of beans, pumpkin, tomatoes (crushed, diced or whole), tomato paste and spaghetti sauce.
Beverages like coffee and tea are probably already on your shelves, and you should also try different soy and rice milks, and almond milk.
Meat substitutes like veggie burgers and tofu dogs should be a small part of your diet, but keep some in the freezer for fast meals.
Baking ingredients like baking soda and baking powder are standard kitchen fare, but also pick up arrowroot, a thickener that can be used in place of corn starch, and dairy-free egg substitutes.
Sweeteners should be used sparingly, but there are a few that offer slightly more nutrient value than refined white sugar (a product that many vegans reject because it’s sometimes processed using animal products). Honey offers trace nutrients, but it can’t be used by vegans; maple sugar has a characteristic maple flavor and is good on cereal or in baked goods; barley-malt syrup is extracted from roasted barley and is excellent in baked good; stevia is a sweet herb whose dried, powdered leaves are made into a low-calorie sweetener that’s 300 times sweeter than sugar.
Herbs and spices are a given, and what you want to keep on your shelves depends on your menu plans.
The basics are basil, bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, allspice, cardamom, cayenne, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, and turmeric.
Planning your meals – Breakfast
You’ve heard your whole life that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s true. After eight hours of sleep, you want to jump-start your brain and body with a carbohydrate-rich meal, getting your engine revving for the rest of the day. If you’re not a fan of breakfast, this is a good time to make the meal a part of your new, healthy habits. And if you do enjoy an early morning meal, you’ll probably find that your vegetarian breakfast is your favorite meal of the day.
For traditionalists, you can easily modify basic fare to meet ovo lacto or vegan needs. Vegetarian sausage or soy bacon is a fine substitute for the real thing, and a tofu scramble offers the same protein boost as eggs. Round it out with whole wheat pancakes and coffee, and all you need is the morning newspaper.
Breakfast doesn’t need to involve cooking. A bowl of cereal, hot or cold, with soy milk and a glass of juice is a balanced breakfast. A slice of toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit is a quick meal, too. Many people prefer something simple and quick in the morning – just because you’ve gone vegetarian doesn’t mean that you have to turn every meal into a production!
Anything you like to eat can be breakfast. Leftover lasagna, a slice of cold pizza or reheated Chinese food is as good for you in the morning as they are at night. Microwave a frozen vegetarian entrée, or have some lentil curry. It’s your diet, so eat whatever you like best.
Have breakfast any time – the same “eat what you like” rule applies at lunch or dinner. There’s no rule that says you can’t enjoy pancakes and vegetarian sausage for your evening meal.
Planning your meals – Lunch
Lunch is a great meal, because you can eat just about anything you want, from breakfast foods to sandwiches to soup and salad. Borrow ideas from other meals for your midday repast – waffles with fruit compote, or a bowl of chili and a whole wheat muffin.
If you take your lunch to work or school, invest in a small insulated lunch bag. Pop in a reusable freezer insert and keep you cold stuff cold all day. Or freeze a bottle of water and place that in your bag – it’ll be thawed in time for lunch, and serves double-duty by keeping your lunch chilled!You know how great those big salads are that you buy in restaurants? You can make your own fabulous salad, to eat either at home or at work – you just need the right ingredients!
Mixed greens, romaine, butter lettuce (or a combination) is your base. Add tomatoes, shredded soy cheese, sunflower seeds, sliced red pepper, or any other thing that sounds appealing. If you take it to work, put a serving of salad dressing in a separate container so your salad stays crisp until meal time.
If you miss favorites like tuna or chicken salad, make vegetarian versions using soy or tempeh. Load them into a pita pocket with some lettuce and tomatoes, and you have a hearty meal.
If you forget to bring your lunch and know there won’t be the time or the opportunity to get something on your work break, pick up something on the way to work. Most fast food restaurants are open quite early in the morning, so stop in and get a bean burrito, big salad or veggie burger during your morning commute. Stash it in you desk or the office fridge so that it’s there when you finally stop for lunch.
Stock up on some of the great instant soups, stews and curries available at your natural foods store. These "cup of soup" style products are often surprisingly tasty, and all you need is hot water from the water cooler in your office or dorm. Just don’t make a steady diet of them – they’re usually loaded with sodium.
Have dessert with your lunch! Enjoy leftover bread or rice pudding from last night’s dinner, or a couple of vegan chocolate chip cookies. Always include a piece of fresh fruit for a sweet treat.
Any combination of foods you like as snacks can add up to a great lunch. Try two or three – or more – of the following:
hummus and carrot sticks
veggie and soy cheese wraps
trail mixsoy yogurt
granola bars
muffins
leftover spaghetti or lasagna
veggie hot dogs
bean burritos
whole wheat bagels baked tofu
vegetarian sloppy joes
pasta salad
sushi
cereal and milk
potato salad or coleslaw
popcorn with nutritional yeast seasoning
black olives
leftover Chinese food
bean dip with tortilla chips
Meal planning – Dinner
Dinnertime is one of the most squandered parts of our day. We’re tired, we’ve been busy, we may not have a lot of time, so we grab something to eat and eat in front of the TV or computer. If you have roommates or live with your family, try making meal time a ritual of togetherness – work together to prepare it, sit down and savor it, and use this time to catch up on your day,Use dinner time to experiment with new twists on old favorites. Substitute portobella mushrooms and sauteed onions for the ground beef in your favorite lasagna, make a great vegetarian chili, or have an indoor "picnic" of tofu dogs, corn on the cob and cole slaw.
Make a big pot of soup on the weekend and refrigerate or freeze portions of easy weekday meals. By cooking more elaborate dishes when you’re relaxed and have the time, you can prepare for a hectic week by stocking up on homemade, heat-and-eat dinners.
Once a week, make a list of the dinners you’d like to have during the week, buy all the ingredients during one trip to the store. Be realistic – on nights that you know you’ll be working late or extra tired, choose meals that are easy to prepare. Then post the list on your refrigerator, so you’re committed to making that meal! This will keep you from grabbing a peanut butter sandwich because you "don’t know what to eat!"
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